Williams launch the FW25

The BMW Williams F1 team launched the 2003 challenger at the Circuit de
Catalunya in Spain today and hopes the FW25 will close the gap between
itself and Ferrari. Team Principal Sir Frank Williams, BMW Motorsport
Directors Dr. Mario Theissen and...

The BMW Williams F1 team launched the 2003 challenger at the Circuit de
Catalunya in Spain today and hopes the FW25 will close the gap between
itself and Ferrari. Team Principal Sir Frank Williams, BMW Motorsport
Directors Dr. Mario Theissen and Gerhard Berger and Technical Director
Patrick Head were present for the unveiling, along with drivers Juan Pablo
Montoya and Ralf Schumacher and tester Marc Gene.

The new BMW Williams F1 FW25.

Photo by WilliamsF1.

Some components of the new car, including the BMW P83 engine, have been
tested over the winter in Spain. The chassis is a new design rather than a
development of last year's car and Williams approached the task with a new
philosophy that has created what is described as 'different visual
appearance'.

A team led by Gavin Fisher designed the FW25 at the team headquarters in Grove, UK,
and the engine was developed at the BMW factory in Munich, under the guidance of Heinz Paschen.

"It's not a summit that will easily be conquered", said Frank Williams of
challenging Ferrari. "We are well prepared and completely determined to get
to the top. We have a new, innovative chassis -- the FW25 -- ready. The new
car is the product of a completely different way of thinking. And with the
P83, BMW has developed another new and more powerful engine. With Juan Pablo
Montoya and Ralf Schumacher we have two winning drivers ably assisted by a
skilled and committed team."

"To achieve our aims", explained Mario Theissen, "we have built an even more
powerful engine in Munich. Yet again, we were the first to test it on the
track, even earlier than last year. The P83, like its two predecessors, is
designed to be the most powerful engine in Formula 1. After managing to pass
the threshold of 19,000 revolutions a minute in 2002, we intend to exceed
this in 2003. At the same time, our ten-cylinder unit is set to become even
more reliable next year."

Williams wanted the new car to be 'a revolution rather than an evolution':
"2002 showed us that our chassis was a model of reliability, but that
there's still room for improvement particularly on the aerodynamic front,"
said Patrick Head. "That's why the FW25 is not an iteration but a completely
new race car."

Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher with the new BMW Williams F1 FW25.

Photo by WilliamsF1.

Montoya and Schumacher will take the FW25 for a few shakedown laps of the
circuit after the presentation and the first official test is due in
Barcelona starting on the 1st February.